Because they violated so many environmental laws, 21 Abuja facilities were sealed by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, the authorities took an enforcement action that had an impact on both residential estates and quarry operations.
In an address to press, Professor Innocent Barikor, Director General of NESREA, said that the crackdown was a result of several non-compliance-related efforts, both verbal and written.
“The goal here is not punishment, but rather the protection of our environment and the enforcement of regulations governing sustainable development,” Barikor stated.
A number of the plants were in breach because they had not conducted the required Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) prior to starting up their activities.
In addition, several were discovered to be operating on floodplains or other environmentally sensitive zones. This was most common in the real estate industry, which Barikor said was known for breaking environmental laws.
Public outcry prompted NESREA to investigate the role of unregulated quarrying and construction on the host towns’ flooding, erosion, and land degradation.
The following properties are among those that have been impacted: White Avenue Real Estate, CCECC-FIRS, Mo Mouna Construction, Practis Project, Belmont Court, Istrom Construction, Mab Global Estate, Ochacho Real Homes, Constrix, Anarock Global Services, Quali Trends Nigeria Ltd, Boked International, CCECC at CBD, Efedi Homes, T’lon Construction, Tayyib Homes, Cosgrove Estate, and Contrix Cube.
The Director of Environmental Quality Control at NESREA, Elijah Udofia, stated that the agency had sent numerous deadlines and notifications on legal compliance, but that very little cooperation had been obtained. Additionally, he brought attention to the risky depths to which quarry companies dig.
The legal limit for quarry depth is three meters. According to Udofia, there have been operators who have dug as far as 25 meters, which poses serious hazards to the ecosystem.
In order to protect ecological systems and the public’s health, NESREA will continue to enforce environmental regulations.